January 06, 2021, 06:37 PM
As Ocean Seafood's ambassador for the past 12 years, Mediacorp artiste Chen Shucheng is no stranger to the F&B scene.
Meme Xpress, a bubble tea franchise from Malaysia, is one of Chen's many F&B projects, and also the actor's rare foray outside of Chinese cuisine.
The Toa Payoh store, however, has closed after just three months of operations.
According to 8 Days, Chen, who has a "small stake" in the business, declined to comment on the closure.
Calling it an "internal decision," he disclosed that shareholders are still discussing the matter, and that he will be updated about the situation at a shareholders meeting.
Meme Xpress has not mentioned anything about the closure on its social media platforms at time of writing.
Instead, the brand announced the opening of a new outlet in Bukit Batok on Jan. 1, 2021.
Unlike the Toa Payoh outlet, Chen is notably absent from both online and offline promotions of the new Bukit Batok outlet.
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Photo via Meme Xpress
As it is, Asiaone reported that the Bukit Batok outlet is under a different franchise owner that is unrelated to Chen and Ocean Seafood.
The company also said that they are looking to open more Meme Xpress outlets in Singapore.
Opened in Sep. 2020
On Sep. 20, 2020, the takeaway bubble tea kiosk opened to much fanfare in Toa Payoh Central with snaking queues and a guest appearance from Chen himself.
Photo via Meme Xpress
In addition to fruity teas and smoothies, Meme Xpress also serves fruity yogurt drinks and cheese foam-topped beverages.
They use tea leaves harvested from a plantation at Taiwan’s Sun Moon Lake and house-made yogurt.
Drinks are available in two sizes — 500ml (regular) and 360ml (mini). Popular drinks include the Peach Yogurt Fruity (S$4.80) and Strawberry Yogurt Tea (S$4.00).
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CFg-BJQBaOx/
Other F&B projects
Chen also a co-owner of Legendary Vegetarian, a chain of food court vegetarian stalls with outlets in Hougang and Woodlands.
Although Chen dabbled in other F&B businesses, those did not survive — the actor shuttered his kopitiam stall The Chinese Kitchen: Taste of Taiwan in 2019 and Teochew City, his Chinese restaurant in 2020.
The Meme Xpress venture is in collaboration with the same folks behind Teochew City and Ocean Seafood, 8 Days noted.
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Top photos by taii.ramen/IG, Meme Xpress.
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